CCOF Leadership

CCOF has an active membership and we want to hear from you.

Our management staff is available to speak with clients and members regarding organic standards, CCOF service, and policy and program suggestions. Management staff contact information is provided below.

Cathy Calfo is the executive director/CEO of CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers). Before joining CCOF, Calfo served as California Deputy State Treasurer between 1999 and 2004. She also served as executive director of the Apollo Alliance, an organization that works to promote clean energy and good jobs.

Calfo currently serves as president of the Homeless Garden Project Board of Directors in Santa Cruz, which provides job training and transitional employment on its CCOF-certified organic farm. She is also a member of the Organic Trade Association Political Action Committee board, and a member of the CCOF Certification Services, LLC Management Committee.

Calfo holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in American studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Jake Lewin is the president of CCOF Certification Services, LLC. Lewin is deeply committed to the success of organic farmers, ranchers, and processors. His experience in the organic industry includes all aspects of organic certification, from farm production to organic inspection and certification. Lewin also has extensive experience with international organic certification issues and trade promotion.

In 2014, Lewin was appointed by former United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to the Agricultural Trade Advisory Committee for Fruit and Vegetables to advise the Foreign Agricultural Service and U.S. Trade Representative. Lewin has taught seminars and training events on organic regulations and certification worldwide.

Armand "Pete" Petri is a lifelong learner of businesses and how they operate, with experience in multiple industries, including health, financial, and publishing, and degrees in Accounting and Mathematics. Being an advocate for healthy diet and food distribution, working for CCOF as chief operating officer has proven to not only fulfill a passion, but be a mutually beneficial, natural fit.

Petri also enjoys the great outdoors, and especially the Sierra Nevada mountains, where heaven is experienced as a week with a friend, a backpack, and a camera.

Jessy Parr is the assistant director for CCOF. In this capacity, she oversees membership and public outreach activities for CCOF, as well as the education and grant programs of the CCOF Foundation.

Prior to joining CCOF, she spent five years producing Symphony of the Soil. Parr has also worked as a consultant with many sustainable agriculture organizations, including the University of California, Davis's Agricultural Sustainability Institute, the Community Food Security Coalition, and California FarmLink.

Parr holds a Master of Science degree in community development from the University of California, Davis College of Agriculture, a certificate in ecological horticulture from the University of California, Santa Cruz's Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and environmental studies from Sarah Lawrence College.

Jody Biergiel Colclough is intrigued by food as a practical way to address many problems, from humus health to human health. She explored this interest at Tufts University where she earned a Master of Science degree in food policy. She applies practicality every day in her role as the director of certification operations for CCOF Certification Services, LLC.

After a workday full of databases and compliance processes, she gets into the great outdoors in Northern California. She is a proud parent and published author.

As the director of farm certification at CCOF, April Crittenden has a wealth of knowledge on the National Organic Program and environmental stewardship in farming systems.

Crittenden began her career with CCOF over 10 years ago and has contributed to the organization's mission in a variety of roles over the years. In 2016, Crittenden worked with SC Labs to develop and implement the Envirocann Certification Program, which offers certification services to cannabis producers.

Crittenden graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz with Bachelor of Arts degrees in environmental studies and anthropology. She also holds certificates from the National Organic Program, the Accredited Certifier Association, and the International Organic Inspectors Association.

Kelly Damewood has her dream job, advocating on behalf of organic farmers as the director of policy and government affairs for CCOF.

After a brief stint running a small organic farm, Damewood went to law school determined to help farmers navigate the legal issues that impact their ability to grow food in a better way. She received her J.D. from Vermont Law School and her LL.M. in agricultural and food law from the University of Arkansas School of Law. Damewood is committed to carrying organic advocacy well into the future because she believes organic truly is the movement to transform our food system.

Most of all, as a member of the millennial generation, Damewood is committed to helping her millennial generation carry organic advocacy well into the future because she believes organic truly is the movement to transform our food system.

Sean Feder grew up near San Francisco, and his family always had plenty to eat. He began to wonder: Where does all this food come from?

After graduating from the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems Farm and Garden apprenticeship, Feder completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from UCSC, with an emphasis on botany and agroecology. He worked on a CCOF-certified organic farm, then enrolled at the University of California, Davis (UCD) for an Master of Science degree in plant protection and pest management.

In 1991, Feder started doing organic inspections for CCOF and served for two years on the CCOF Board of Directors. He was later hired as the first director of inspection operations. He is glad to have work that contributes in a small way to the vision of a world where food will be widely available for a long time.

Barbara Lenssen brings a wealth of Human Resources experience to CCOF. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in world languages and cultures, and subsequently a Master of Arts degree in international policy Studies, Lenssen embraced all facets of people and diversity and followed the natural path of pursuing a career in human resources. Although her career has spanned high tech and advertising, Lenssen's true passion lies within the health and wellness arena. When she's not at work, you can find her rock climbing in Yosemite, lamenting the latest misfortunes of the Oakland Raiders and Oakland A's, and dreaming about one day owning a Shiba Inu.

James Marquez is the director of technology for CCOF. Marquez comes to CCOF with many years of experience in information technology, having lead several large IT departments in diverse industries. He is passionate about technology and its use.

Marquez moved back to California from St. Georges, Bermuda, with some time also spent in Boston, Massachusetts. He studied marine biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and has held several science research positions before switching paths and embarking in a technology career. His scientific "past life" includes projects such as scientific field work in Antarctica and ecological studies in the eastern Sierra Nevada.

Spending the majority of his career at the Oceanographic Institute in Bermuda instilled in Marquez his love for the ocean, and probably also explains why he follows international sailing, rugby, and cricket events. In addition to his Bermuda-inspired interests, Marquez spends his free time surfing, sailing swimming, traveling, and having outdoor adventures with family and friends.

Laura Mathias is the marketing director for CCOF. As marketing director, she directs the marketing of CCOF's programs and services to the organic and agricultural community and consumers at large.

Mathias has spent her marketing career in various fields, including education, events, and business-to-business. She has managed numerous websites and has a keen understanding of how digital marketing enhances a brand. Additionally, she enjoys bringing together event promotion, sales analysis, and process-driven systems to maximize the impact of an organization.

Mathias has a Bachelor of Arts degree in marketing from Valdosta State University and is a long-term transplant to the California's Central Coast. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, cooking, and traveling with her family.

Sarah Reed has always loved the natural world and followed this passion to study ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. After graduating, she worked in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries for several years before moving to CCOF as a handler certification specialist in 2008. The position played to Reed's strengths in organization, process development, and critical thinking.

Reed's enthusiasm for organic food and her hard science background has continued to serve her well in her current role as handler certification director. She is an expert in organic processing materials and standards, especially winemaking and the growing area of retail and restaurant certification.

Reed is a lifelong environmentalist who bikes to work, always carries a reusable water bottle and to-go container, and strives to create zero waste. Reed has been a vegetarian since the age of 11 and enjoys hosting and attending dinner parties, kickboxing, local wine and beer tasting, walking everywhere, and playing with her cat.

Eric Winders is the development director for the CCOF Foundation. Winders came to CCOF from California FarmLink, a community development financial institution (CDFI) that helps underserved farmers access capital and land.

Farming has been in Winders' blood since he was a kid, starting as a high school berry picker on a truck farm in Schenectady County, later WWOOFing in Costa Rica, Spain, and Portugal, and then managing 30 acres of urban gardens/farms in New York's Capital Region.

During the evenings, he can be found spending time with his family and dogs, making use of salvaged wood, and playing guitar.